Lamp conductor contact



R. N. FALGE ETAL 2,449,373

LAMP CONDUCTOR CONTACT I Filed Doc. 28. 1944 3nuentora e& [Ii/11am 7." 22521:

. attorneys Patented Sept. 14, 1 948 LAMP CONDUCTOR CONTACI Robert N. Falge and William T. Mears, Anderson, Ind., assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application December 28, 1944, Serial No. 570,056

2 Claims. ((31. 173269) The present invention relates generally to improvements in the construction of terminal contacts for insulated conductors-adapted for general use but particularly designed for use in automobile lighting systems wherein the conductors v are mounted in connector or lamp socketsleeves.

An object of the invention is to provide a terminal construction which is relatively cheap to manufacture with a positive mechanical and electrical connection of the contact to the end of the conductor.

According to the present invention the ceive the wire strands of the conductor which are soldered to the contact member andis formed with a toothed flange portion which is crlmped into the conductor insulation to retain the insulation around the wire strands adj acent. and'within the contact member.

Fjurther objects and the-advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation. with parts in section, of a connector sleeve with conductor terminal contacts embodying the present improvements.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section, partly in elevation, of a conductor and the terminal contact.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of a contact member before assembly on the conductor.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a conventional type of connector sleeve 4i having bayonet slots such as 6 adapted to receive the usual locking pins of a connector plug having contact points to engage the terminal contacts 8 thereof to a lamp housing or reflector is adapted and has heretofore been used for the mounting of the lamp bulb with the contact points on the bulb base cooperating with the conductor ter-.

minal contacts.

With this type of connector or lamp socket contact a member is formed with a-central opening to resleeve and conductor mounting construction it has heretofore been the practice to form the terminal contacts by elements in the nature or tacks with the pointed ends driven into the ends of the conductors between the wire strands. In some cases, however, the tack may not be cen'-. teredin the conductor .end, or it .may not be driven into the wire strands far enough and leave a space between the tack head and conductor insulation such as permits shifting of the contact relative to the guide plate for the conductor.

When assembled in the sleeve either of these defects is apt to cause the heads of the tacks to touch together, or cause one of them to touch the sleeve, causing a short-circuit.

Both of the above noted defects are eliminated by the present terminal contact construction which is shown in detail in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3, a contact member 8 is'shown in the form in which it is to be assembled on the conductor as a disk or cup having a central-opening IS with an inturned flange IB and having an annular serrated flange 20 with the teeth 22.

The contact member 8 is adapted to be applied to the end of the insulated conductor ID to provide the assembly shown in Fig. 2 in which 'the conductor is indicated as of conventional form having-the conductin element 24 of wire strands within the insulating cover or sheath 2B of rubber or the like with an external cover 28 of braided fabric. In applying the contact member 8, it is forced on the end of the conductor so that the wire strands 21 extend within the contact opening i8 and the flange 20 is bent towards the conductor and the teeth 22 clinched into the conduct-or-insulation 26. The contact member and conductor assembly is then dip ed in flux and in a pot of molten solder which adheres to the contact member and wire strands to form a conducting bond and provides the rounded contact point as indicated at 30.

It wil be apparent from the foregoing description and the showin in Fig. 2 that the contact will always be properly centered with reference to the end of the conductor and that a positive electrical connection is provided and the contact is mechanically connected to both the wire strands and the conductor insulation. It will therefore be seen that in using such a construction in the assembly of Fig. 1 the several contacts will be tact points on a connector plugor lamp bulb base.

The present contact member may be readily formed and applied to the conductor by a machine including a suitable die and press which is so constructed that strip stock is fed into the machine and when a conductor is inserted, the machine will automatically form the contact member to the shape shown in Fig. 3, force the contact member on the end of the conductor and clinch the teeth into the conductor insulation.

Although designed and described herein as particularly adapted for use in connector or lamp socket sleeves it will be apparent that the improved terminal contact construction is capable of other uses and such changes in details of construction are contemplated as come within the scope oi the present invention set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The combination with an insulated conductor having a central conducting core and an insulating cover, of a terminal contact on said conductor comprising a member having a central opening a with an i'nturned flange which is forced on the end of said conductor with said flange embedded in the end of said insulating cover around said core with the end of said core extending within said central opening, and an annular serrated flange on said member having the teeth thereof bent inwardly and clinched into said insulating cover adjacent the end of said conductor.

inlllthin said central opening, and solder ll!- pliedtoandcoveringtheendofsaidcoreandthe portionoi'saidcontaetmemberarolmdthecentral opening therein.

ROBERT N. PM! Will-HAM '1. means.

-Theiollowingreierencesareoirecordinthe meoi'thisnetent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,536,083 Douglas May 5, 1925 1,540,112 Douglas... June 2, 1925 1,999,118 Simsack Apr, 23, 1938 2,175,759 Olson Oct. 10, 1930 2,225,031 Caldwell Dec. 11', 1940 2,291,674 Alden Aug. 4, 1942 2.313.212

Alden Mar. 9, 1943 

